History Follows Wankhede
The Iconic Wankhede Stadium has witnessed some riveting cricketing history unfolding over its stellar past. The 15th of November 2023, would go down as one of its purple chapters, where an unassailable Indian juggernaut mowed down yet another opponent, grinding records in the melee and scaling new heights. Packed to the rafters, besieged by the fans and the glitterati, the Wankhede again soaked in the light breeze from the adjacent Arabian Sea and a Sea of Blue within.
Rohit- The Fearless Captain With A Fearless Script
Rohit Sharma won the toss, and chose to bat and I felt deep down that we were halfway through to the Final. A colossus of a batting unit, spearheaded by a brave captain had seized the initiative. Rohit’s script as we may call it, undoubtedly has been the trigger which has had a cascading effect on the Indian team. Playing with gay abandon, Rohit ( in particular ) and Shubhman Gill, gave a blistering start and by the time the never ageing war horse Kohli arrived, India was well on top.
King Kohli Upscales Sachin
The humidity got to Gill ( after a superb knock ) and then arrived Shreyas Iyer. Batting superbly as he is, the free-stroking Iyer and a hardworking Kohli set up a magical partnership. As Kohli ran hard, and played some deft touches, Iyer’s belligerence kept dealing in sixes, but Kohli was set to make history. The 50th ton beckoned and Kohli did not disappoint. He fell to the ground, raised his arms, bowed his head and acknowledged the massive standing ovation from the crowd. It was no ordinary crowd either. From David Beckham to Sir Viv Richards to Sachin Tendulkar, to the stars of Bollywood and scores of loyal fans, it was an incredible moment in the life of an incredible cricketer, the epitome of professionalism, hard work and resilience.
Brilliant Iyer As India Bat NZ Out of the Game
Shreyas Iyer got his ton ( his second on the trot ) and K L Rahul chipped in with a few big hits of himself to get to an implausible 397 runs on the board. A massive score in a knockout game. The Indians had virtually batted New Zealand out of the match.
KL Pouches A Stunner
New Zealand began with Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra. The White ball was swinging and seaming off the pitch big time, under lights, but still, the start was a good one for the Kiwis. But then, the start was short-lived as Shami arrived on the scene. He bowled two delectable deliveries one swinging away and one swinging in, to take out Devon Conway and Ravindra in quick succession, with KL Rahul taking a stunner. The Kiwis were on the back foot, but not their spirit.
Kane-Daryl Make A Match Of It
Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell hung in there in good measure. Mitchell was superb and though the ball was gripping and turning, the stubborn duo played out Jadeja and Kuldeep well and counter-attacked. The tide was beginning to turn, the fielding became sloppy and to make it worse Shami dropped a dolly from Williamson. Mitchell and Williamson had added 181 runs together. The partnership was looking ominous and then the tide turned again.
India Make It To Sunday’s Final
Shami removed Williamson and then bowled a superb indipper to get rid of Latham in the same over. The double blow was telling from Shami and in my opinion, the match was done and dusted in that over itself. Glenn Phillips tried a bit, Mitchell got to his 100, but then it was all downhill for the Kiwis. The scoreboard pressure and the rising asking rate was too much to handle as the match kept slipping away. Shami made merry as he scalped another 3 to make it 7 for the day as the roaring Indians booked their place for Sunday’s final in Ahmedabad.
Sublime Shami
Shami with his 7, broke a few records himself. He became the fastest to 50 wickets ( just 17 innings ) in World Cup history ( edging out Mitch Starc ), became the highest wicket-taker for India in a World Cup ( 23 so far, eclipsing 21 from Zaheer Khan ) and became the leading wicket-taker in the ongoing world cup ( 23 wickets in just 5 games…unbelievable ). It’s a fairy tale for Shami, beyond belief and some would say ‘ scarcely credible ‘, but it’s true and real. What a bowler he has been for India.
The Country Awaits…
The country awaits with bated breath as the Men in Blue are on the cusp of the Ultimate Cricketing Glory. They have worked hard for it, played with exceptional intent and an amazingly unwavering temperament. They have won 10 on the trot and to be fair, the Law of Averages, needs to wait for one more game. Fingers Crossed.
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